IS claims downing a Syrian government warplane in Deir Al-Zor

The IS group on Sunday claimed to have shot down a Syrian regime warplane in eastern Syria.

In an online statement, the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said the plane was shot down by IS militants in the eastern Deir al-Zor province.

The official SANA news agency said the aircraft went down during a combat operation against IS and the pilot had died.

More than 60 regime soldiers were reportedly killed and scores injured in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike on regime forces in Deir al-Zor.

Syria has suffered unspeakable losses over the last five years since Bashar al-Assad’s government violently suppressed a peaceful protest against his rule, unleashing a downward spiral of violence that killed hundreds of thousands of victims and displaced millions.